Chapter 395: How Did I End Up Encountering You Two Freaks?

Chapter 395: How Did I End Up Encountering You Two Freaks?

"The Origin Force above the droplet is indeed abundant, even richer than the spiritual energy above the Spirit Seed." Chu Ning continued, "But I already have twin Spirit Seeds within me, and the spiritual energy here is also dense and pure. As such, the absorption and refinement of spiritual energy are actually faster."

"By cultivating two sets of techniques simultaneously, the peculiar energy within my body will autonomously balance the absorption and refinement of these two energies."

"However, this approach doesn't maximize the efficiency of absorption and refinement." Chu Ning had indeed noticed that cultivating two techniques simultaneously, guided by the peculiar energy, resulted in a noticeably faster refinement rate of spiritual energy compared to solely cultivating the Five Elements Chaos Technique.

Based on his previous experience in the Cloud Soaring Forbidden Land, even without consuming the Wanfa Spirit Fruits, the refinement rate could be further increased if the refinement of the Origin Force could keep up.

With that in mind, Chu Ning reached into his storage bag and took out a piece of Origin Stone.

He had tried consuming spirit fruits containing Origin Force to cultivate the Nine Transformations Body Tempering Technique while outside the sect, and it had worked.

However, he couldn't directly cultivate the Nine Transformations Body Tempering Technique by relying on the Origin Stone, mainly because he couldn't draw out the Origin Force within it.

Now, with his current situation, he could try to see if he could harness the Origin Force from the Origin Stone.

Holding the Origin Stone in his hand, Chu Ning once again began cultivating both techniques simultaneously.

In the next moment, he felt two distinct forces being absorbed into his body. One was the spiritual energy of the world, and the other was the Origin Force from the Origin Stone.

Under the guidance of the peculiar energy that had already fused within him, these two forces, along with the droplet of Origin Force and the twin Spirit Seeds in his body, were simultaneously refined.

At this moment, a very subtle balance was achieved.

A portion of the refined energy was absorbed into his dantian (energy sea) and merged with his golden core, while another portion strengthened his physical body. The rest was fused and settled into various parts of his body, just like before.

Although the speed couldn't compare to when he was in the Cloud Soaring Forbidden Land, Chu Ning could still feel that the rate of refinement for the Spirit Seeds was twice as fast as normal.

After cultivating like this for about ten days, the Origin Force within the Origin Stone in Chu Ning's hand was completely absorbed and refined.

However, unlike spirit stones that would turn into powder after being depleted, this Origin Stone only changed color, becoming transparent, but it remained as hard as ever.

Chu Ning took out another Origin Stone, but he didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he took out a medium-grade spirit stone and compared the three items.

"In terms of size, the Origin Stone contains much more Origin Force compared to the spiritual energy contained in a medium-grade spirit stone. If it were a medium-grade spirit stone, I estimate it wouldn't even last a day before being completely refined. Moreover, the Origin Stone doesn't shatter like a spirit stone." Chu Ning examined them for a while before putting away the two Origin Stones and the spirit stone.

Then, he checked the cultivation proficiency of the techniques in his mind:

[Five Elements Chaos Technique (Heavenly Mid-Grade), Third Layer (76,500/200,000)]



[Nine Transformations Body Tempering Technique, Second Volume, Second Layer (81,490/90,000)]



[Refine God Technique, Fourth Layer (64,000/64,000)]



When he had left the Cloud Soaring Forbidden Land, his cultivation proficiency in the Five Elements Chaos Technique was 76,200, and it was 81,190 for the Nine Transformations Body Tempering Technique.

In the past ten days, both techniques had increased by 300 points.

"Almost 30 points of proficiency increase per day!" After a quick calculation, Chu Ning had a rough idea of the effectiveness of this cultivation method.

This cultivation speed was somewhat slower compared to his previous rate of gaining 60 points per day in the Five Elements Chaos Technique.

However, in these ten days, Chu Ning hadn't relied on the Snow Crystal Spirit Liquid or pills to cultivate the Five Elements Chaos Technique. If he had cultivated normally, an increase of around 20 points per day would have been considered decent.

Moreover, in the previous year, Chu Ning had spent very little time on the Refine God Technique and the Nine Transformations Body Tempering Technique, choosing to focus almost entirely on the Five Elements Chaos Technique.

Therefore, when calculated together, cultivating two techniques simultaneously did help with the refinement of the Spirit Seeds and the absorption of spiritual energy.

The refinement speed of the Spirit Seeds was about twice as fast as normal cultivation, and according to his estimation, there should have been an increase of around 40 points in proficiency.

This meant that about a quarter of the spiritual energy was being refined and fused, then settling within his body.

After some experimentation, Chu Ning finally had a rough understanding of his current cultivation progress. At the same time, he also had a plan in mind.

"I still have quite a few Origin Stones, and the one I just used was the smallest. So, there shouldn't be a problem with cultivating two techniques simultaneously.

However, this will slightly slow down the rate of refining spiritual energy.

Although I can still consume pills and Snow Crystal Spirit Liquid to make up for it, there's no other way to quickly replenish the Origin Force.

Perhaps I can split my efforts and use the time for body tempering to cultivate both techniques simultaneously, while continuing to cultivate the Five Elements Chaos Technique as usual.

This way, I won't neglect either aspect."

Having found the optimal balance for his cultivation, a smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.

Having gauged the specifics of his spiritual sense, Chu Ning was highly satisfied as he retracted it.

This range extended nearly five miles further, a significant enhancement for his spiritual sense.

Retracting his spiritual sense, Chu Ning exited the cultivation chamber and made his way directly to where Zichen Qin was in the courtyard.

"Did the Artifact Forge send over the artifact forging materials?" Chu Ning asked.

Hearing Chu Ning's question, Zichen smiled and nodded, then pointed to the pile of materials in front of her.

"They're pretty efficient; they delivered them yesterday."

"Then why didn't you call for me?"

Chu Ning's gaze swept over all the materials, finding that they were not only complete but also of good quality.

They were more than sufficient for forging a magical artifact flying sword for Zichen.

Zichen picked up one of the materials at that moment and asked, "I'm not in a hurry anyway. It won't be too late to forge it after you come out of seclusion. In the meantime, I can familiarize myself with these forging materials. I'm quite unfamiliar with artifact forging; I only know how to forge some talisman arrays, but I've barely forged any artifacts or magical artifacts."

As she spoke, she held up several types of forging materials and asked, "Is this silver featherstone?"

"Yes," Chu Ning nodded, then explained, "This material enhances the inscription of water-attribute talismans when used in forging."

"And this one is..."

Zichen asked about each material, and Chu Ning patiently answered her inquiries.

After explaining the names, uses, and basic forging methods for all the materials, Chu Ning wrapped them in a glowing haze and said, "Let's go. I'll forge your natal magical artifact now."

Zichen followed closely behind as they made their way to the forging chamber. When they arrived, she smiled and said, "I've seen you refine pills before, but I've never actually witnessed you forging artifacts."

Speaking of pill refining reminded Zichen of when they were in the Thousand Lakes and Islands, and she had set up the earth fire and talisman array for Chu Ning's first pill refinement. She smiled softly as she recalled, "By the way, I helped you set up the earth fire and talisman array back then. You looked so inexperienced, like a newbie."

"Indeed, I was a newbie back then; it was my first time refining pills," Chu Ning laughed as he agreed.

Upon hearing this, Zichen's beautiful eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Are you saying that was your first time refining pills?"

Chu Ning nodded with a smile. "Yes, do you remember? Not only did you say I looked like someone who couldn't refine pills, but I also produced a batch of waste pills during that attempt."

Zichen tilted her head as she recalled, then nodded and shook her head. "That's true, but how did your pill refinement success rate become so high afterward?"

Zichen clearly remembered that while Chu Ning had refined waste pills at first, his success rate had increased by about ten percent with each subsequent batch.

"Just attribute it to my talent," Chu Ning smiled and replied.

"How do I explain it... my talent is constantly awakening and improving."

Chu Ning didn't know how to explain his system talent to Zichen, so he could only use the more familiar term of 'awakening'.

"For example, you didn't know I could forge artifacts or set up talisman arrays before, but now I have a certain level of talent in those areas."

After hearing this, Zichen remained silent for a long time before finally smiling gracefully and saying, "Whatever the case, even if your talent is exceptional, you're still going to be my bodyguard."

"Of course!" Chu Ning laughed, then took out the Black Profound Metal and Skywater Bamboo from his storage bag.

"Now we truly have all the materials. Let's begin the forging process."

Hearing that Chu Ning was about to start forging, Zichen fell silent.

However, Chu Ning still needed to refine these materials, so he used the Nine-Turn Essence Refining Technique.

Then he continued to explain the process to Zichen.

Once all the materials were refined, Chu Ning began the subsequent steps of melting and molding.

Although the flying sword magical artifact recorded in the Xuan Shui Divine Manual had a relatively high forging difficulty, and the manual only provided information on the required materials, talismans, and a general forging method, it was not overly challenging for Chu Ning, who had already reached a certain level of proficiency in artifact forging.

After several days, a radiant and colorful flying sword appeared before the two of them.

This sword was slightly longer than one of the individual Five Elements Spirit Swords that Chu Ning possessed.

The sword's body emanated a pale white ripple, and when infused with spiritual power, it resembled shimmering water and jade, a stunning sight to behold.

The various talismans flashing with spiritual essence on its surface further attested to its extraordinary quality.

"Give it a try," Chu Ning said as he reached out, took the sword, and handed it to Zichen.

Zichen held the sword and channeled her spiritual power into it, feeling the power coursing within. A delighted smile spread across her face, indicating her satisfaction with the sword.

"This sword hasn't been nurtured and trained yet, but its power is already much stronger than my previous one," she commented.

"Of course," Chu Ning nodded. "After all, whether it's the forging materials or the forging method, these are top-notch even among Golden Core cultivators. Even early Nascent Soul cultivators might not be able to utilize these materials as well."

Chu Ning's statement was not an exaggeration. After all, he possessed the Artifact Spirit Body, and his artifact forging skills far surpassed those of cultivators at the same stage.

After all, even Lu Yuezhang, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, considered Skywater Bamboo a treasure.

Cen Zicin nodded slightly. Although from her perspective, Chu Ning's process of refining the entire flying sword seemed effortless.

However, she could still appreciate the quality of the artifact refining materials and the power contained within the magical artifact sword.

"Chu Ning, since you're the one who refined this artifact sword, why don't you give it a name?"

"This artifact is your natal artifact, so you should be the one to name it," Chu Ning said, shaking his head.

Cen Zicin smiled at that.

"In that case, let's not stand on ceremony. Since this sword is derived from the Xuan Shui Shen Jue and is a magical artifact, let's just call it the Xuan Shui Shen Jian (Xuan Shui Divine Sword)."

"That's a good name," Chu Ning agreed.

"The method of refining this sword is somewhat unique. I'll teach you a set of refinement and nurturing techniques so that you can absorb it into your body as your natal artifact."

"Mmm," Cen Zicin acknowledged softly.

Chu Ning then took out a blank jade slip from his storage bag and inscribed the refinement, nurturing, and cultivation methods onto it before handing it to Cen Zicin.

She took the slip and examined it carefully.

After about an incense stick's worth of time, Cen Zicin put down the jade slip and held the Xuan Shui Divine Sword in front of her.

She then formed hand seals and cast several incantations onto the sword.

As the sword shimmered with azure-white spiritual light, Cen Zicin opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of Danxia flame, enveloping the sword completely.

Immediately after, she began to softly chant ancient and abstruse incantations.

Under the influence of her internal energy, the sword gradually shrank in size and flew into her mouth, disappearing from view.

With that, Cen Zicin's natal magical artifact was officially complete.

At this moment, Chu Ning opened his mouth and spat out his Wood Spirit Sword and Earth Spirit Sword.

Simultaneously, he took out two jade boxes from his storage bag.

"Are these the beast souls you mentioned earlier?"

Cen Zicin watched Chu Ning's actions curiously and asked.

Chu Ning nodded.

"These are the beast souls of eighth-rank magical beasts. Actually, if you wanted to condense and refine beast souls for your Xuan Shui Divine Sword, it would also enhance its power.

However, I'm afraid that you might not be able to control the beast souls of eighth-rank magical beasts, and the souls of seventh-rank beasts wouldn't make much of a difference.

Let's hold off on that for now and reconsider when you reach the late Golden Core stage."

"Mmm, I'll listen to you," Cen Zicin replied.

Chu Ning's attention returned to the two spirit swords.

Once again, he opened his mouth and spat out a ball of flame that contained the Earth Vein Spirit Fire.

The flame enveloped the Wood Spirit Sword.

Chu Ning quickly cast a series of incantations, and the talismans on the sword began to flicker and gradually dissipate.

Chu Ning swiftly gathered his spiritual power and divine sense and began to inscribe new talismans on the sword.

As soon as the last talisman was completed, spiritual energy from the heavens and earth immediately converged towards the Wood Spirit Sword.

The process was somewhat similar to when the sword was first forged, but the abundance and unusual phenomena were slightly inferior to that initial event.

Chu Ning's expression turned serious as he pointed a finger, tossing the tail containing the eighth-rank Ironwood Wolf's beast soul into the air. He then cast a series of incantations, forcing out the beast soul.

A green wolf soul appeared, having already been refined by Chu Ning and purified to an extreme degree. As soon as it appeared, it was drawn towards the Wood Spirit Sword by the converging spiritual energy.

After a short while, it disappeared into the sword.

Chu Ning continued to cast spells until all the spiritual energy was absorbed, and the beast soul was completely bound and fused within the sword. Only then did a smile appear on his face.

Without retrieving the Wood Spirit Sword, Chu Ning immediately began the refinement process for the Earth Spirit Sword.

Once the beast soul of the eighth-rank Earthen Armored Dragon was fused into the Earth Spirit Sword, Chu Ning opened his mouth and spat out the other three spirit swords.

He formed a hand seal, and the five spirit swords merged into one, transforming into a giant sword.

The dazzling five-colored radiance became even more brilliant, and the sword's power increased by a level.

"This is the true power of the Five Elements Spirit Sword!"

Chu Ning's eyes lit up as he exclaimed.

"If the previous Five Elements Spirit Sword was barely capable of fighting a Nascent Soul cultivator, with the power of this new sword,

even without relying on the might of ancient treasures, I can now contend with a cultivator in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm!"

Chu Ning smiled as he spoke to Cen Zicin, then retracted the Five Elements Spirit Sword into his body. "Wait for me in the cave dwelling. I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Cen Zicin asked curiously.

"To find the sect master!" Chu Ning replied, and before his words had even landed, he had already flown out from Tianlan Peak.

"Are you going to test your sword?" Cen Zicin guessed.

She flew out of the cave dwelling, following after him.

Chu Ning turned his head and asked, "Do you want to come and watch as well?"

Cen Zicin shook her head.

"No, I'm going to find my senior sister."

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback, but then he grinned.

The two of them flew off in different directions.

On Jiuxiao Peak, Yu Changge was somewhat surprised by Chu Ning's sudden visit. He welcomed Chu Ning into his cave dwelling, intending to ask a question.

In the next moment, Yu Changge's figure flickered, and he vanished from his original spot.

Simultaneously, a crimson sword light pierced through the space where he had just been.

"Elder Chu, what is the meaning of this?"

Yu Changge's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise.

At the same time, he noticed that a giant sword, radiating five-colored light, had appeared in front of Chu Ning.

"Catch!"

Without waiting for Yu Changge to say more, Chu Ning quickly channeled his spiritual power into the giant sword and flicked his finger.

Instantly, the giant sword shot into the air and released a dazzling sword beam, slashing directly towards Yu Changge.

Seeing this, Yu Changge's face changed again, but he reacted swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, a folding fan appeared in his hand.

With a swift motion, the fan unleashed powerful gusts of wind that merged to form a wind pillar, confronting the giant sword in mid-air.

Surprisingly, Yu Changge was a mutant wind-attributed spiritual root cultivator.

Witnessing the might of the wind pillar, Chu Ning was delighted. However, the giant sword remained unwavering as it slashed down forcefully.

The wind pillar and the sword beam collided in the air, creating a stalemate for a moment. Eventually, the five-colored sword beam proved too strong and shattered the hurricane pillar.

"Perhaps in terms of the thickness of spiritual power, I'm not far behind the sect master.

But he has the support of a Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual power, and the sword beam of the Five Elements Spirit Sword alone is insufficient to withstand it.

I'll need to use the Five Elements Sword Array or the Spirit Sword itself to attack."

Chu Ning muttered to himself, his expression as cold as ever.

He pointed a finger, and the giant sword instantly split into five, enveloping Yu Changge in a sword formation.

"Oh?"

The next moment, Chu Ning was surprised again.

Yu Changge's body suddenly became elusive, like a leaf blown by the wind, and he vanished into thin air.

His Five Elements Spirit Sword momentarily lost its target.

Although he was slightly surprised by Yu Changge's escape technique, Chu Ning's spiritual sense was exceptionally powerful.

As soon as Yu Changge reappeared elsewhere, Chu Ning immediately sensed it.

He waved his hand, and the five spirit swords shot out, merging into one in the air before swiftly slashing down with lightning speed!

Evidently, Yu Changge had not expected Chu Ning's Five Elements Spirit Sword to strike so swiftly.

It was too late for him to attempt another escape, so he quickly swung his fan again, summoning a hurricane to counter the attack.

However, this time, the hurricane was no match for the Five Elements Spirit Sword.

The sword pierced through the wind pillar and reached above Yu Changge's head.

Yu Changge's expression changed as he closed the fan and channeled his power into it to counter the incoming sword.

When the two artifacts clashed, Yu Changge's face twitched as he noticed that the spiritual essence of his artifact had been damaged.

Although the damage was not severe, it indicated that in the confrontation between their artifacts, Chu Ning's Five Elements Spirit Sword had the upper hand.

"Chu Ning, what are you trying to do?"

Yu Changge exclaimed and immediately retracted his fan, summoning an ancient bell.

Seeing that Yu Changge had brought out a treasure, Chu Ning waved his hand and recalled the Five Elements Spirit Sword.

He smiled at Yu Changge and said, "Sect Master, don't be alarmed. I just wanted to test my sword."

Hearing this, Yu Changge, who was about to channel his spiritual power into the ancient bell, paused and looked at Chu Ning in surprise.

Chu Ning waved the Five Elements Spirit Sword in his hand and explained, "I just condensed the beast soul of an eighth-rank magical beast, and I wanted to test its power."

Finally realizing that Chu Ning was telling the truth, Yu Changge's tense expression relaxed.

He let out a bitter smile and said, "Chu Ning, can you stop being so abrupt? If you want to test your sword, at least give me a heads-up."

"I was afraid you would hold back," Chu Ning said with a smile, cupping his hands in a polite gesture.

"Sect Master, please forgive me."

Yu Changge waved his hand. "It's fine, but don't do it again. I can't take such a scare."

At the same time, on Ziwei Peak, Cheng Qinghui looked at Cen Ziqin with a resigned smile.

"Cen Ziqin, are you satisfied now? Your innate talent far surpasses mine, and your spiritual power is almost on par with mine now that you've reached the middle stage of the Golden Core realm.

Now that you have such a powerful artifact, I'm no match for you."

Cen Ziqin retracted her flying sword and walked towards Cheng Qinghui, linking arms with her.

She smiled gently and said, "Sister, don't be angry. I just refined a new artifact, and you were the first person I thought of to test it with."

Cheng Qinghui smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, I was the first person you thought of to test your sword on. Why didn't you think of your Chu Ning instead?"

"I'm far inferior to him," Cen Ziqin replied with a light laugh.

"Besides, he's busy right now. Chu Ning has enhanced his Spirit Sword, and he's gone to test it against the sect master."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qinghui was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"How did we end up encountering you two freaks?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end